01 — The Brief
A B-school brief, 1,800 km away.
Ximera is XIME Bengaluru's annual inter-collegiate management and cultural festival — a 2-day national-level B-school event running since 2014, drawing 2,000+ footfall from IIMs, Xaviers, and other top management institutes. Completely student-driven. Polished. And held 1,800 km from Merchland's Kolkata production floor.
The Ximera 2025 organising team had two non-negotiables: premium pullover hoodies for the entire team, and every single hoodie personalised with the wearer's name on the back. Not a batch number. Not a department label. A name.
02 — The Pivot
It started with a sample.
Before committing to 100+ pieces, the Ximera team did what smart organisers do — they ordered two sample hoodies first. Pullover hoodies in 300 GSM cotton fleece (the heavy, fleece-lined kind that holds its shape and survives years of wear). A test of fabric weight, print quality, fit, and whether a partner sitting 1,800 km away could actually deliver what the portfolio promised.
The samples landed. The quality checked out. Within days, the bulk order was confirmed.
When you're shipping cross-country and the margin for error is zero, samples aren't a formality — they're the entire decision. Two hoodies cleared the 1,800 km bar.
Two sample hoodies. Then 107 personalised pieces, every name spelled right, on a deadline 1,800 km from your production floor. The maroon and black batch, the maze sleeve detail — it landed exactly as the samples promised.
Ximera 2025 Core Committee — XIME Bengaluru★★★★★Rated 5 out of 5
03 — The Delivery
107 hoodies, 107 names, zero errors.
Once the samples passed, XIME Bengaluru went all in: 107 pullover hoodies in 300 GSM cotton fleece — 87 in black, 20 in maroon. Every hoodie custom-printed with the Ximera branding on the front chest, a maze-pattern graphic on the sleeve, and the detail that made this order unlike any standard fest run: every single hoodie had the wearer's name printed on the back.
That changes what merch means. A generic fest hoodie is something you wear for a week and forget in a closet. A hoodie with your name on the back in custom typography — that's yours. You keep it. You wear it to class, to cafés, on weekends. It becomes wardrobe, not memory.
From a production standpoint, personalisation at this scale isn't simple. Every piece needs its own print file. Every name needs to be verified, typeset in the same font, positioned consistently across 100+ hoodies. One misspelling and you've got a problem you can't fix from 1,800 km away. Merchland delivered all 107 — zero errors, on deadline, Kolkata to Bengaluru.
04 — The Expansion
Then the core committee came back.
A month after the bulk order, a second contact placed a follow-up: more pullover hoodies plus zipper hoodies, both in 300 GSM. The zipper hoodie was new — a product type the first order hadn't included.
This is the pattern. The bulk order lands, the team wears it, and then the inner circle wants something extra. When your core committee orders a premium variant on top of the original batch, it means the first delivery earned the right to a second ask.
05 — Why It Mattered
Distance stops being a question.
Merchland has served IITs, IIMs, and engineering colleges across the East and Northeast. Ximera was different on three counts. It was Bengaluru — 1,800 km from Kolkata, no same-city convenience, no next-day courier fixes; the product had to be right the first time. It was a B-school — MBA students aren't the same audience as engineering fest-goers, so the merch had to look polished and work as professional identity; the dual black-and-maroon colourway with clean white typography hit that brief. And it was personalised — 107 hoodies, each with a unique name, proofed and executed with no room for error.
When a Bengaluru B-school chooses a Kolkata partner over every local option — and then comes back for round two — distance stops being a question. The product answers it.
06 — Snapshot
The order at a glance.
Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
Client | Ximera 2025 — XIME Bengaluru |
Segment | Education (national-level B-school fest) |
Product Types | Pullover Hoodie (300 GSM cotton fleece) + Zipper Hoodie (300 GSM) |
Total Units | 107 personalised hoodies + follow-on core-committee batch |
Customization | Per-piece name personalisation on back, Ximera front chest, maze sleeve graphic |
Order Phases | 3 (2 sample hoodies → 107 personalised bulk → core-committee reorder) |
Delivery Geography | Kolkata to Bengaluru — 1,800 km cross-country |
Print Method | Custom DTF Print on biowashed cotton fleece |
Outcome | Zero misprints, on-deadline delivery, follow-on order with new product type |
07 — FAQ
Questions, answered.
Can Merchland personalise every hoodie in a bulk order with a different name?
Yes. For Ximera 2025, all 107 pullover hoodies were printed with a unique student name on the back — each one typeset in the same font, positioned consistently, proofed before production. Per-piece personalisation is available on hoodies, tees, polos, and varsity jackets, with custom typography matched to the fest's design system.
Does Merchland ship to Bengaluru and other cities outside East India?
Yes. Merchland ships from Kolkata to all Indian states. The Ximera 2025 order — 107 personalised hoodies plus a follow-on batch — was delivered to XIME Bengaluru, 1,800 km from production. Past clients span the Northeast (IIT Guwahati), South (XIME Bengaluru), and North (IMS BHU Varanasi, AIIMS Raebareli).
How does sample ordering work before a bulk hoodie run?
You can order 1-5 sample pieces in your chosen GSM, fabric, and print method before committing to bulk. The Ximera team ordered two 300 GSM pullover hoodies first — that single sample step was what cleared the 1,800 km cross-country decision. Sample turnaround is typically 7-10 days; bulk production starts the moment the sample is approved.
What is a 300 GSM pullover hoodie and is it suitable for B-school events?
300 GSM (grams per square metre) is a heavy, fleece-lined hoodie weight — premium feel, holds its shape, survives years of wear. It's the standard for B-school fest committees because the merch needs to look and feel professional, not flimsy. Ximera's order used 300 GSM cotton fleece in black and maroon — the dual colourway with clean white DTF typography that hit the polished MBA-fest brief.
How do I request a quote for personalised fest merchandise?
Email contactus@merchland.in or call +91-62899904011. Visit merchland.in and submit the inquiry form with your design brief, total quantity, the personalisation list (CSV of names is fine), product type, and your fest deadline. Samples are available before bulk — and bulk pricing scales from a 30-piece committee batch to a 500+ piece full-fest run.
